Tormented Royal by Lily Wildhart
Chapter Two
After wandering the halls trying to get my bearings again, I walk into English class, which is mostly full already, to see Blair and one of her vapid besties drooling over two football players. The resulting eye roll is so hard that I worry I won’t be able to undo it. I glance around the rest of the room before heading straight for the back corner where there’s a seat near the window, next to a girl with the brightest purple hair I’ve ever seen… And, considering the groupies I’ve met, that’s a feat in itself.
She smiles at me as I slide into the chair, but the teacher walks in the room as I go to say hi, so I shut my mouth and give her an awkward little wave. Her smile only grows in response, and there’s just something about her that tells me she and I are going to be friends.
That, or I’m projecting because she’s the first person not to treat me like a pariah since I showed up this morning. But I guess there’s still time for that to change.
“Morning, ladies and gents, welcome to the start of your senior year. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you, so let’s fix that. I am Ms. Summers, and I’ll be your English teacher for the year. Yes I’m new here, but don’t think that I’m a pushover. I don’t care what you did over the summer, it’s done. Right now, we’re going to focus on how I can get you out of this classroom and off to the college of your dreams. If I see your phone, it will be confiscated. I am not afraid of detentions, and bribes will not be accepted. Now that that’s clear, let’s start with your reading list, shall we?”
Oh my God. She’s English. My English teacher is English. Brilliant.
I wonder if she gets hung up on her ‘u’s?
The girl next to me snorts, and I bite down on my lip to stop from laughing too. I don’t know who this teacher is, but she just became my hands down favorite. I’m also glad I’m not the only new person here so I can avoid the whole new girl introduction thing. I make sure my phone is on silent in my pocket, because I really don’t want it to be confiscated by my new favorite teacher, and turn to focus on what she’s saying.
Ms. Summers passes around a piece of paper detailing the reading list in full, and I grin as I scan it. I’ve covered half of these with my tutors already. I knew I was ahead, but I didn’t realize just how ahead I was. Maybe, just maybe, this structured schooling thing won’t be as bad as I’ve been worrying about.
“I’ve highlighted the texts we’ll be focusing on, but I suggest reading the others because this is AP English, and you’re here for a reason. You’ll be doing the first assignment in pairs. Pick wisely because you’ll be stuck with each other for the rest of the year.”
I guess I’ll do some re-reads to refresh my mind on them, but some of my favorites are on this list. Plus, Wuthering Heights is highlighted, which only makes my smile widen. I’ve always been an avid reader, so the thought of re-reads just excites me.
Purple Hair glances over at me, pointing at me then back to herself, and I nod. She might be godawful at English for all I know, but she’s a decent human, and that’s all I give a fuck about.
“Pick your favorite book on the list and discuss with your partner why you believe it’s the best one there. Try to convince them that your book should be at the top of the list.” She waves at us to begin before sitting behind her desk, and the room becomes a hive of movement as people shift to sit in their pairs.
“I’m Indi,” Purple Hair says, turning to face me, and the first thing I notice is that her big green eyes shine like seas of emerald. She literally looks like a living, alternative pixie. The ring in her nose and lip, plus metal studs all the way up her ears shock me. I’m surprised she gets away with them with the dress code. “And you’re Octavia Royal.”
Normally someone knowing who I am in this sort of situation would make me uncomfortable, but there’s something about her that makes me feel at ease. Maybe it's her laid-back demeanor, or maybe it's that she very obviously doesn’t look like one of the ECP drones, but I like her already.
“I swear I’m not like a crazy, psychopath stalker or whatever… Though I will say I listened to your dad somewhat obsessively in my tween years, but I’m past that little obsession. Sorry about him by the way. Also, I have really bad verbal diarrhea when I’m nervous, so sorry about the babbling. Oh my God, I need to stop.” She covers her mouth with her hands, and I just can’t. I laugh quietly at her, feeling my eyes crinkle at the edges as I do
“Dude, you’re fine. Take a breath.”
“Sorry, yeah okay. Right, let’s start again, shall we? I’m Indi, it’s nice to meet you.” She puts her hand out for me to shake, looking more than a little awkward, so I take it to make that lost puppy look on her face disappear.
“Octavia, though a lot of my friends just call me V.”
“I like that.” She grins and scoots her desk closer to mine. It’s then I notice the pattern beneath her shirt.
“Midnight Blue?” I ask, and her grin grows.
“I am more than a little obsessed with them. And the lead singer… I swear I’m not into girls, but Jenna B gives me such a lady boner. I can’t even.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty cool.” I laugh, relaxing in her presence. She just radiates warmth and joy, and it puts me at ease despite myself. “And they put on an epic show.”
“Oh my God, have you met her? I’m going to hyperventilate. You know Jenna B?” She’s practically fangirling, and I have to say it’s pretty refreshing to find someone in Echoes Cove who isn’t so up their own ass that they care about shit like this.
“I’ve met her a couple times, yeah,” I tell her, downplaying how close I am with her. Some people get weird when they know the people I’m friends with. “They were on one of Dad’s tours in their early days. They only did about seven shows, but they were amazing even then.”
“I am officially going to die. I dub thee my new bestie.” She cackles, and Ms. Summers looks over at us, narrowing her eyes at us in a way I do not like. Especially on my first day here.
“Done. Now… let’s talk about Wuthering Heights.” I bring our conversation back to the class because I don’t want to fail before I even start. I grin at her, and she shakes her head, feigning a look of betrayal as she lays a dramatic hand over her heart.
“Oh no, you’re one of those. I take it back,” she scoffs before shaking the list in my face. “How can you pick Catherine over Jane Eyre?”
“Ah, the great sister debate… This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.”
* * *
I leave Indi behind and head to Business. I’m early, so I snag a seat in the back corner again and watch as the sea of new and old faces filter into the room. There are more than enough whispers and side glances in my direction for me to know that my return isn’t a small thing. I knew it wouldn’t be, and that’s exactly why I didn’t want to come back. Despite the fact that the people I grew up with in Echoes Cove have grown while I’ve been away, nothing much changes in a town like this. It’s still just as judgmental and gossipy as it was when I was a kid.
It’s not even that shocking that my mom ran off when she did. While I hate her for abandoning me, I’d like to run the fuck away from here right now too, so a small part of me almost understands her actions.
I sigh at the thought of my mom and pull my phone out, only to see a video waiting for me from Mac, the head of security and a general pillar of my dad's touring team. He basically helped raise me on tour. I find the video along with a few messages from the roadie group chat about how much I’m missed and wishing me luck. My heart pangs with sadness. This group of people are my real family, the people who always had my back no matter what. It may not have been a long time since I’ve been away from my found family, but fuck I miss them. I send them a message back, telling them just how much I miss them and wish I was back with them before a shadow washes over me.
“You’re in my seat.” I look up to see Lincoln staring down at me as he towers above. Why the fuck does he have to be so freaking tall?
“There’s plenty of others.” I jut out my chin, the action practically begging him to fight me over it. I don’t know where the defensiveness is coming from, but after my run in with him and the others earlier, it isn’t hard to see that we aren’t going back to the way things were before I left.
“Mr. Saint, please take a seat, any one will do,” the teacher says as he breezes into the room, dropping a ton of textbooks on the table.
Lincoln glares at me before dropping into the seat beside me. Maverick and Finley finish out the back row.
Well, this is going to be fun.
I listen to the teacher drone on, introducing himself and the curriculum for the semester, trying to remember why I picked Business as an elective in homeschooling. I know I’ll never start my own label without it, and yeah, I plan on pursuing a Business degree eventually, but fuck. Could this guy’s voice be any more monotone? The guy’s rocking a monobrow too. I bet his name is Mono. Mono fucking Peters.
I look around the room, and spot Brittany, Blair’s best bitch, leaning back to talk to Maverick. She flicks her blonde hair at him, and her shirt is undone so far that I can see her bra from here. I roll my eyes when he throws a pen between her tits and she starts to giggle.
I turn my focus back to Mr. Peters and try to pay attention to what he’s talking about, but something about his voice just makes me tune out. Maybe I got my hopes up too early. Passing this class is essential. Not just to my GPA, but for my college applications too. I bite my lower lip, trying to pay attention again. I knew structured school was going to be an adjustment, but shit. If the teachers here are all like him, I’m fucked.
“What’s wrong, princess? Too good to be here with the rest of us?” Lincoln’s voice startles me. The question is quiet enough that I’m pretty sure Mr. Peters didn’t hear, but the snickering from the row in front of us tells me that they definitely heard.
I try to ignore him, but I can feel his stare burning into the side of my head. Why the fuck is he being such an asshole? “I just prefer different company.”
“Oh, I bet you do. I heard you enjoyed slumming it on the road.” His sneer, along with the obvious insinuation, pisses me off more. He doesn’t know one fucking thing about me.
“And here I was thinking Lincoln Saint wouldn’t ever lower himself to reading tabloids.”
I don’t deny his statement because there’s no point. If I deny it, it only makes it more true in their minds. If I say he’s right, I become a dirty slut. You’ve got to love the politics of Echoes Cove.
He doesn’t get a chance to respond as the teacher draws the class to a close. Shit. I didn’t take any notes. I couldn’t even tell you what he talked about. Fuck my life. I need to ask someone to help me with some notes.
As soon as the bell rings, I grab my bag and try to haul ass from the room but find myself cornered anyway.
“You shouldn’t have come back, princess,” Maverick snarls. “You’re not wanted here.”
I roll my eyes at him and try to push past him, but he’s a wall of immovable muscle. “Trust me, no one wants me to be here any less than I do. It’s just this year, and then I’m gone. How about you stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours?”
“Look at baby Royal trying to tell us what to do like she runs this place.” Lincoln barks out a laugh, and other laughter rings out. That’s when I realize the only person who left the room was the teacher.
Fuck, I hate private school.
“I’m not trying to tell you anything,” I insist, standing taller as I try to leave again, only for Finley to block my path. He’s always been a guy of few words, but when he says something, he always makes it count. I’ve known him to make people cry with less than a handful of words.
He still doesn’t say anything, though. He may be quiet, but he’s loyal as they come. He won’t move until Lincoln says so. It’s always been like this with them, but now I’m learning what it’s like to be on the other side of their team.
“I suggest you get with the program, princess. This is our school now. And you? You’re nothing but a minnow. Piss me off and see what that gets you.”
I narrow my eyes at Lincoln, hating the gauntlet he just threw down. I am not some weak-ass bitch. My dad might have come to a bitter end, but he raised me to be a boss-ass queen. “You already seem pissed off to me, so what’s the worst that could happen?”
The grin on my face only seeks to add fuel to the fire my words have ignited.
Lincoln's eyes turn icy, and he curls his lip. The wicked smile on his face doesn’t quite meet his eyes as his gaze roams over me from head to toe. The stare causes an icy drop of dread to run down my spine, but I try to keep my face impassive. “Sad, desperate, lost little princess. Nobody wants you, nobody loves you, and well… Let’s just say that when you’re gone, nobody will miss you either. You have no idea of the game you're playing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
The absolute quiet that follows me challenging him is enough to charge the air and make my hair stand on end.
“That means, Nobody, that you shouldn’t be here. This school doesn’t cater to the weak and pathetic. You’re not wanted here. You should have stayed gone with your coward father.” His sneer pricks at my heart, but I refuse to let myself be beaten on day one, and I’m becoming very aware that this really is going to be day one of what, I’m sure, is sure to be a nightmare of a year at ECP.
“But even your coward father couldn’t stand the sight of you, could he? Did you enjoy finding his cold dead body? His note to you telling you how you weren’t enough to make him stay in this world? You’ll never be good enough, Octavia Royal. Not for him, not for this school, not for any of it.”
Rage pulses through my veins, but I refuse to cry in front of these assholes. I hate how he’s airing out shit that I didn’t think anyone in the general population knew about. Things like the note from my dad, or the fact that I’m the one who found him. We kept all of that from the press. I stand, trying to compose myself, but all of the eyes crawling over me, looking for cracks in my armor, make me want to vomit. I shove it all back, trying to piece myself back together while he just smiles that dead smile of his back at me.
“You are nothing, Octavia, and while you might like to pretend you’re more, you never will be. The longer you resist, the more it’s going to hurt. You made yourself free game by coming back here. It won’t ever stop, not until you leave.”
Maverick steps toward me, leaning forward and sniffing before pulling a face. “I guess they forgot to take the trash out.”
He turns and leaves with the other two close on his heels, but everyone else simply watches as I stand here trying to piece my armor back together.
“Fuck this.” I leave the room, determined not to let them get to me, but fearing it might be a losing battle.
* * *
The morning passes in a blur, but for the most part, I’m left alone after Business. Mostly because the guys, Blair, and her friends aren’t in my Music or Statistics classes. That doesn’t mean that more of the same bullshit whispers and taunts haven’t followed me, though. I always thought I had a thick skin, but apparently something about being back in Echoes Cove has me feeling a bit more sensitive. It’s only been half a day, and I’m already exhausted by it all. The whispers, the structure, the classes. Thankfully my Music and Stats teachers were better than Mr. Peters, and the classes were engaging enough to hold my partial attention. I’m used to chaos breaks between my lessons, so four in a row has my brain all kinds of numb. I’m seriously starting to question if a 4.0 GPA is actually doable. I might need to hire a tutor if I want to meet the terms of the will because I can’t seem to get my brain to play ball.
After I leave Statistics, I head to the cafeteria, which of course is on the other side of the freaking building. At least the walk gives me a chance to decompress a little, as I try to shove down the rising panic about passing my classes along with surviving this cesspit of a school for the rest of the year.
I spot Indi waiting for me at the doors, and my anxiety goes down by about three levels. I might be Stone Royal’s daughter, used to paparazzi and crazy fangirls, but I’m still a seventeen-year-old girl on her first day at a new high school. This is a whole different ball game. Knowing that Blair and her bitch squad will be behind those doors makes me want to grab lunch off campus.
“Hey! Rough morning?” she asks as I approach, and my mood lightens with each step. There’s something about her that’s just all sunshine and rainbows. Even with the whole alt/emo thing she apparently has going on at heart.
“My morning has been filled with Blair and her vapid bitch squad as well as a delightful run in with Lincoln and his merry band of jerks, so yeah, you could say that.” I groan, and she tucks her arm through mine.
“Oh no, not the Saint Squad.” She sighs dramatically, and I can’t help but laugh. “I don’t know where these assholes get their sense of power from, but they know this is just high school, right?” I let her drag me through the doors, my stomach tightening as I get my first look at the cafeteria. The people are no less cliquey now than they were the last time I was here. The popular kids occupy the rectangular tables near the center of the room, with everyone else taking the space around them.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
“Nah, I grew up back East, but my dad is a tech genius and landed a job in the Valley, so now I’m here… With all of the California sunshine and vapid assholes I can handle.” She laughs as we walk to the lunch line, and I can’t help but roll my eyes when I see what’s on the menu for the day. At least there are still burgers and pizza. Fuck the salad bar. I don’t do a rabbit food diet. I tried it once, and it was the most miserable and cranky two hours of my life.
“Well, what you’ve probably learned is that the Saints basically own this town. Maverick and Finley have been his best friends since we were all kids. Even when we were younger, everyone just gravitated toward them. I have no idea why. Back then, I was too young to notice it, but I guess the power is something they were born into.” I shrug as we make our way to an empty table by the windows. We pass the jock table and the table filled with Lincoln, Blair, and all of their pseudo-sycophants. “Table in the corner?”
“Sounds perfect, away from all the crazy.”
“There’s a spot here without crazy?” I pull a face of feigned shock, and she laughs as we head toward the table and slide into the empty seats.
“Back to the power system… I’ve noticed it. It’s just really different from the public school I was at before I came here last year. But hey, now you’re here and I’m not the new kid anymore, so thanks for that.” She tips her can of soda toward me, and I laugh.
“You’re welcome, I guess?” I take a bite of the cheese pizza I slapped on my plate and groan at how good it is. I mean, it’s not as good as Denny’s in New York, but for high school cafeteria pizza, it’s the fucking shit. “So you only came here last year?”
“Yeah.” She nods before taking a bite from her burger. She chews thoughtfully before she picks up a fry, points it at me, and continues, “And you better believe my alt loving, purple hair rocking personality wasn’t exactly par for the course around here. I mean, my hair was blue when I started, but I’m pretty sure the change to purple hasn’t made a difference.”
“Dude, I love your hair,” I tell her with a shrug.
“V, you love Midnight Blue, lived life on a tour bus, and love my hair. I knew I was making the right decision having you as my bestie.”
I grin at her because I obviously think she made an awesome decision; and while I might not be here for long, surviving this year with a friend like her will make it much easier. We eat in a comfortable quiet, and I download the social media app for the school onto my phone while Indi scrolls through the reality news on hers, showing me random articles about shit I’ve never heard about. I nod and smile regardless.
I sign in to the app, change my password, then close it down. Social media always seemed a bit icky to me, but if this is how stuff works here, then I’m willing to give it a go. I slide my phone away as I finish eating and look up at Indi. “Want to go catch some sunshine before lunch is over?”
She stands, nodding, and I follow suit. We dump our trays in the trash cans, and I turn in time to walk straight into Blair, her lunch spilling straight down the front of my uniform. “Watch where you’re going, you stupid bitch.”
The way she smiles at me tells me this wasn’t an accident, not that I ever actually thought it was. Granted, the spaghetti making its way down my shirt only serves to confirm how unaccidental this fucking run-in was. This bitch doesn’t eat carbs.
“Here, let me help with that stain.” Brittany cackles before throwing her drink over me, the sticky liquid staining my uniform further. The entire cafeteria is silent until Maverick starts laughing, and then the rest of the students join in. Fury and embarrassment burns in my veins, and it takes every ounce of control that I have to not lay this bitch out.
I clench my fists and remember that Mac taught me never to hit someone first. Finish the fight, but never start it. Even with this crazy bitch.
“Blair, that shit is out of order.” I look up and see some of the football team heading in our direction. I look over to Lincoln who is scowling over at us, but he just sits there, watching it play out and not bothering to intervene. If he’s pissed off, he could’ve stopped Blair himself, but fuck him because we both know he started all of this.
“Come on, let’s go get you a new uniform,” Indi says, trying to pull me away from them when Blair leans in.
“I told you this was my school, Octavia. You should leave because this isn’t going to get any better for you. If anything, it's only going to get that much worse. Don’t say I didn’t warn you because this is the only warning you’ll get.”
“That’s enough, Blair,” a male voice shouts across the cafeteria, but Blair pays no fucking attention.
I shrug out of Indi’s hold and lean in closer, making sure she can see the fire in my eyes. “Blair, you have no fucking idea what I’ve lived through. A vapid little bitch like you isn’t going to scare me.”
She laughs loudly, like I’ve told her some hysterical fucking joke, before turning and flicking her hair in my face and walking away. Brittany’s at her side like a perfect little lap dog.
Fuck this shit. I walk towards the doors of the cafeteria with my head held high. I won’t give them the satisfaction of my tears. They’re just angry tears, but they won’t fucking know that, and they wouldn’t believe it anyway. I refuse to let them see me cry.
“Are you okay?” the blond football player asks, pulling me to a stop before I reach the exit. I turn to look up at him and I try my best to smile though really, I’d just like to get cleaned up.
“I’m fine, this uniform sucks anyway.” He offers me a megawatt smile, and I think Indi nearly drops dead beside me. I think she’s actually holding her breath, her hands shake at her sides before she sucks in a breath and clasps her hands together, looking at him all googly-eyed. It’s like she’s star struck.
“It does, but you rock it. Even with the additions.” He shoves his hands in the pockets of his slim fit jeans, and his megawatt smile only brightens as he says, “I’m Raleigh.”
“Octavia.” I smile back, not wanting to be rude since this is the only guy who stood up for me. I glance around him into the cafeteria. I don’t want to be dismissive, but I really want to get the hell out of here.
“I have a spare uniform in my locker, come on.” Indi swoops in and saves the day, like a fucking superstar. I wave at Raleigh as she loops her arm through mine, pulling me into the hallway.
“Definitely didn’t think you’d be into the jock type,” I joke as she leads me in the opposite direction of the cafeteria.
“I’m so not, well usually anyway, but dude, that smile. Exceptions can always be made.” She fans herself, making me laugh as she leads me to a bathroom. I strip out of my shirt as she disappears and do the best I can to get the soda out of my hair. I tip my head under the hand dryer, but it's a useless effort, so I focus on drying my bangs and put the rest up into a ponytail.
It doesn’t take long for her to get back, handing me a shirt as she leans against the wall. “This isn’t the first time this shit has happened, so I tend to keep at least three spares in my locker at all times.”
I’m pretty sure my jaw just about hits the floor, but she only shrugs in response. “Like I said, I know what it’s like being the new kid.”
I’m not sure if I’m more pissed off for her or for me at this point, but I make a vow to myself right then.
I am not letting these assholes win. Not now, not ever.